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'Really sick' Raducanu sets up Swiatek meeting at Roland Garros

football26 May 2025 15:52| © AFP
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Emma Raducanu © Getty Images

Former US Open winner Emma Raducanu overcame illness to make a winning return to Roland Garros on Monday as she beat Wang Xinyu to set up a second round clash with reigning champion Iga Swiatek.

The 22-year-old Briton overcame her Chinese opponent 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in her first appearance at Roland Garros since 2022.

Raducanu said she felt "really proud" after grinding through against Wang in a topsy-turvy encounter, which featured 16 breaks of serve and lasted nearly two hours 45 minutes.

After requiring a medical break in the first set, the 2021 US Open champion revealed she had been feeling ill all day.

"I woke up and I felt really sick, to be honest," Raducanu said in her post-match press conference.

"I felt bad from the morning. I was just trying and fighting through that. It was really difficult.

"To have kind of come through that and overcome how I was feeling, I'm really happy."


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Raducanu fell in the second round three years ago in her only previous appearance at the tournament, and will face a stern test if she is to better her Roland Garros record this time around.

She will meet four-time winner Swiatek in the round of 64, after the Pole swept through 6-3, 6-3 against Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova.

"I think it's a match for me where I can really test and challenge myself," said Raducanu of her next opponent.

"I think exposure to the top players is great for where I'm at for my development.

"It's a match where I can... go for my shots, because I know if I just push the ball, I'm probably going to get eaten."

Swiatek holds a 4-0 record over Raducanu, with her most recent victory a bruising 6-1, 6-0 win in the third round of the Australian Open in January.

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